Rotary engine.



No. 639,659. Patented 1180.19, I899.

H. A.- BUCK.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Appli on filed Get. 4, 1899 (No Model) No. 639,659. Patented Dec. l9, I899.

H. A. BUCK.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application filed. Oct. 4, 1899.)

A 770Kh/EYS IN VElwog 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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N0.'639,659. Patented 000. I9, I899.

' H. A. BUCK.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Applicatiozi filed Oct. 4, 1899.) I (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

A TTOR/VE Y8 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY ALONZO BUcK, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,659, dated December 19, 1895.

Application filed October 4,1899. Serial No. 732,528. (No model.)

struct a simple and efficient form of engine capable of developing high speeds and one that may be readily reversed without danger thereto either when running at a high speed or under a high pressure; and it has for its further object to so construct the said engine as to utilize as faras possible the expansion of the steam for the production of power.

In order that this invention may be the better understood, drawings are appended, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a simple form of engine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan. Fig. 4 is a view showing the arrangement of the parts. Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the arrangement of the steam-admission valve. Fig. 6 is also asection showing the arrangement of the door or partition closing the bore of the cylinder. Fig. 7 is a front view of the reversing mechanism. Fig. 8 is a side view of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a side elevational view of the piston and its disk. Fig. 10 is an end view of Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a plan of Fig. 9. Fig. 12 is an end View of the collar for actuating the various valves of the engine. Fig. 13 is a side view of the collar, upon which are formed projections for operating the valves. Fig. 14 is a side 5. In Figs. 3 and 6 suitable feet or standards are cast or otherwise formed on part 1 for supporting the same upon the base or foun dation. Goncentrically disposed with regard to the cylinder are cast or otherwise formed upon the parts 1 and 2 external bosses 6 and 7, bored to form bearings fora shaft 8, which shaft has secured to it a disk or plate 9, provided with a peripheral boss 10, forming a piston of a contour corresponding with the shape of the cylinder and provided with a piston-ring 11, as shown clearly in Figs. 9, 10, and 11. The piston, it will be seen, is beveled off at its ends, the object of this being to allow of the more rapid movement of the traps or doors 12 13. Communicating with the cylinder are admission-ports 14 15, situated as indicated in Fig. 4, and which ports are normally closed by means of valves 16 17, (see Fig. 5, in which figure is shown a section of the cylinder,) and with valve-chest 18, consisting of a casting bolted or otherwise secured. to the face of the part 1 of the cylinder and in which are formed suitable chambers 19, one for each valve. The outer ends of the chambers are provided with suitable stufling-boxes and glands 20, through which pass the valve-spindles, the valve being kept always closed by means of the coiled springs 21. The valve-spindles have each of them cut or otherwise formed at a suitable distance from their outer ends a slot or recess 22, with which engage the ends of levers 23 24, (see Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying drawings,) one of which levers (the lever being determined by direction of motion of the piston) is caused to lift the valve, allowing steam to pass into the cylinder. The levers 23 24 are shaped as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 and more clearly in Fig. 14, from which it will be seen that they are approximately triangular in configuration and are pivoted at 25 to the brackets or arms 26 and 27 and 28 and 29, formed, respectively, upon the valve-chest on each side of the vertical center line of the engine. It will be seen on reference to the drawings, Fig. 14, that the lever 23 there shown is provided with two horns or projections 30 31, the purpose of which is to allow of the lever being held in a position so as to keep the lever upon that side of the cylinder steam to the cylinder.

but of operation while the other is in operation, or, in other words, when the direction of motion of the engine is reversed.

The operation of the valves for the admission of steam is effected by means of the collar 32, Figs. 1, 2, 3, 12, and 13,.secured in any suitable manner to the shaft 8, and which collar may also form a stuffing-box for the said shaft to prevent leakage from the cylinder through the bearing. It will be seen on reference to Figs. 12 and 13 that the collar is provided with three peripheral projections 33, 34, and 35, the projections 33 and 34 coming into contact with and, during the rota tion of the collar 32, actuating the levers by depressing the inner end, thereby raising the outer, and by reason of the engagement of the said end with the valve-rod admitting The projections 33 34 upon the collar 32 are situated in different vertical planes, the projection 33 being in advance of the projection 34, the projection 33 actuating the lever 23, and projection 34 actuating the lever 24, the last-named lever being similar in shape to the lever illustrated in Fig. 14, but having one born or projection only, the inner one being dispensed with.

The steam is admitted to the engine by the cock or tap 36, which cock has leading from each side of its outer casing tubes 37 38,which tubes, as shown more clearly in Fig. 5,-conduct the steam to either of the valve-chambers, according to the direction of motion of the piston. The plug of the cook 39 is cut away at 43, as shown in Fig. 15, and accord: ing to the angle at which it is turned allows steam entering by the pipe 41 to flow through either tube.

It will be seen on reference to Fig. 4 that there are two radial slots or openings 42 43 located inside the steam-ports and through which slots are inserted across the bore of the cylinder the aforementioned doors 12 13, which doors rise as the piston approaches them and descend when it has passed beyond, the raising and lowering of the doors, however, oommencing as the thin edge of the beveled end of the front of the piston approaches and gradually rising as it advances until the cylinder-bore is quite free and remaining so until the body of the piston has passed, when it again descends as the wedge-shaped end of the piston passes under it until the bore of the cylinder is closed, when the door and the piston form a chamber havinga fixed end, to which the steam is admitted and by its expansion causes the piston to advance. The movement of the doors 12 13 is effected by means of the projection or nose 35 upon the collar 32, which during the rotation of the said collar comes into contact with the end of one of two levers 45 46, Figs. '1, 2, 3, 7, and 8, shaped as shown, and supported by the brackets 26 27 and 28 29, before referred to as supporting the levers 23 24, by which the Figs. 2 and 3) and bolted or otherwise affixed to the foundation-plate or base 53 of the engine. It will be seen that the levers 45 and 46 have their inner upper edges inclined at 54 at an angle to the portion 55 and have in addition a projecting portion 55, (indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 8,) by which the said lever is thrown out of action by the reversinggear. The levers 45 and 46 are actuated by means of the nose-piece or projection 35, be-

fore referred to, also formed upon the collar 32, and which projection upon the revolution of the collar strikes against the part 54 of whichever of the two levers is in action at the time, thereby raising the door operated by that lever, the amount of time during which the door remains withdrawn from the cylinder (which period is governed by the length of the piston) being dependent upon the thickness of the levers 45 and 46 at the points 54, an increase or diminution of such width increasing or diminishing the time that the bore of the cylinder will remain fully open for the passage of the piston.

The reversing-gear before referred to consists of. a triangular-shaped plate 55, provided with a collar 56, (see Figs. 7 and 8,) bored to permit of the plate, when placed upon the bearing of the engine, being rocked by means of the pin or projection 57, formed upon the end of the rod or bar 58, projecting from the plug of the steam-admission cock, and which projection 57 enters the slot 59, formed in the upper part or apex of the plate 55. The contour of the plate is as shown in Fig. 7, being curved at the base 60, the radius of the curve being such that when the plate 55 is rocked, asaforesaid, the edge 60 thereof comes into contact with the part 55, Fig. 8, and acting as an inclined plane gradually depresses the inner end of one of the levers 45 and 46 and raises the door governed by the said lever, the particular'lever actuated de-' pending upon the direction in which the plate 55 moves. Upon the continued movement of the plate one of the bosses or projections 61 is brought into contact with the piece 55 and holds the lever in position as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6. Springs 62 are provided, whichhold the levers normally in position to be actuated by the projections upon the collar 32. Projecting from the front of the plate 55" are two tapered circular projections 63 and 64, which when the plate is actuated, as aforesaid,for reversing the engine engage with the horn upon one of the lovers 23 24 and lift the same until the horn is out ofreach of the ICC projections upon the collar 32 and not actuated thereby, saving wear and tear upon the moving parts of the engine.

65, Fig. 4, is the exhaust-port, which in the case of a simple engine may be left always open and through which the exhaust-steam passes to the exhaust-pipe 66, Figs. 1 and 2.

The action of the engine is as follows: Steam is admitted by the feed-pipe 67 and according to the direction in which the engine is desired to run passes through the cook 36, through, say, the tube 37, and is admitted by the valve 16 to the cylinder, and the door 12 closing the bore of the cylinder the eXpan-' sion of the steam will drive the piston (shown dotted) in .the direction of the arrow, Fig. 4, it being understood that the opposite valve and door are out of action. The steam is allowed to expand until the piston has passed the exhaust-port, which port, as aforesaid, being always open permits of the ready escape of the exhaust-steam by the pipe 68. Upon the approach of the piston to the door the projection 35 upon the collar 32 will engage with the lever 45 and raise the door 12 gradually as the wedge-shaped end of the piston advances thereto, holding it clear for the passage of the piston and then allowing it to close again gradually as the rear end of the piston passes before it. As soon as the door 12 is closed the projection 33 upon the collar 32 will engage with the inner projecting piece 30 upon lever 23, raising the steam-admission valve and allowing the steam to pass to the cylinder,when the operation is repeated. The cycle of operations when the engine is reversed is the same, but the last-described parts are thrown out of operation and the opposite set thrown into gear.

Having now particularlydescribed and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. The combination with a cylinder, steam inlet and exhaust leading thereto, a door adapted to close the bore of said cylinder, a

, shaft, a disk carried thereon, and a piston carried by said disk traveling in the bore of said piston, the ends of said piston being reversely inclined, said incline portions extendin g entirely across said bore to be borne upon the shaft, steam-inlet in said cylinder, valves controlling the same, doors adapted to close the bore of the cylinder, levers controlling said doors and valves, means carried by the shaft for operating said levers, a cock controlling the steam-supply to the steam-inlets, and a tilting device operated and controlled by said cocks for throwing said levers out of operation, substantially as described.

4. In combination, the cylinder, steam-inlets and valves controlling the same, doors adapted to close the cylinder-bore, bell-crank levers having one of their arms connected to the valves and doors, the shaft, means carried thereby adapted to operate on the free arms of said" levers, a steam-inlet pipe, a control ling-cock, and a device controlled by said cock adapted to move the free arms of one set of levers out of the path of said operating means and hold the door and valve controlled thereby in action, substantially as described.-

5. In a rotary engine the combination of a cylinder 1 piston 10 with admission-valves 16, 17 with levers 23 and 24, doors 12 and 13, and their actuating-levers 45 and 46 with the collar 32 upon the shaft Sand projections 33, 34 and 35 thereon, all acting and operated substantially as herein described and illustrated by the appended drawings.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY ALON ZO BUCK.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. J AOK, EDMUND H. HARBERD. 

